HOBOKEN, N.J. (November 14, 2010) – Coming off an 18-win season and a return to the Empire 8 Men's Basketball Championship, the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball team will open its 2010-11 season on Monday night against Baruch College at the Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. Head Coach Bobby Hurley and the rest of the Ducks hope to improve upon a trip to the conference tournament semifinals and an appearance in the quarterfinals of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Metro Tournament one year ago.
Senior center/forward Bryan Franklin is the captain of the team and will be asked to lead a relatively young group throughout 2010-11. Franklin has been a solid contributor off the bench for Stevens over the last two seasons and will see an increased role as one of just two seniors on the team. The coaching staff will look for him to anchor the defense and provide a consistent presence on both ends of the floor. A strong communicator, Franklin will need to make quality decisions with the ball. He saw action in 26-of-27 contests last year, averaging 4.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, and shooting over 50 percent from the floor. He pulled down a total of 100 rebounds.
“Bryan is one of the most vocal players on the floor all the time – in practice and during games,” said Hurley. “He has improved greatly over the course of his three seasons and will be the leader our team needs.”
Fellow senior Christopher McNay is another player that has improved immensely in his time at Stevens and will be an important piece down low if the Ducks are to have a successful season. A hard worker, McNay will see consistent and valuable minutes, and the coaching staff hopes he, like Franklin, will be a consistent presence underneath on both offense and defense.
Junior forward Simon Smith led Stevens in scoring and rebounding as a sophomore and was named second-team All-Empire 8. Smith started 27-of-27 games for the Ducks and averaged 12.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per contest. Smith had 11 double-doubles and came to camp with increased strength and quickness. The Cranford, N.J. native will be looked upon to provide more leadership and with continued development, should see increased numbers across the board.
Junior guard Mike Cutri is coming off a season in which he was named honorable mention all-conference. Cutri was second in the Empire 8 in three-point field-goal percentage, connecting on 47.4 percent of his attempts from long range. He averaged 11.9 points and almost three rebounds per game, starting all 27 contests for the Ducks. The junior will have to work harder for shots after playing well in 2009-10, and in addition to being more consistent on the defensive end of the floor, Cutri will have to be one of the team's most consistent scorers.
Guard Russ Thompson leads a talented sophomore class. The West Orange, N.J. native got better and better as the 2009-10 season progressed and ended up leading the conference in three-point shooting. Thompson was big down the stretch for the Ducks and with improved defense and ball handling will see a much larger role for the team this year. He played in all 27 games as a rookie, averaging 6.5 points and shot 48.8 percent from long range.
Sophomore guard Sheldon Jones put a lot of work in during the off season and has impressed during preseason with better decision making and improved shooting. One of the most athletic players on the team, Jones averaged 4.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in 26 games as a freshman.
Sophomore forward Max Schwartz was the most improved player last season and has continued to develop in the early stages of this year. Schwartz will be asked to be constant contributor of the bench and with his size, should have an effect on all aspects of the game. He saw action in 21 contests, totaling 49 points and 20 rebounds.
“All three of our returning sophomores have the chance to be important players for us,” said Coach Hurley. “If they continue to work hard, improve on the defensive end, and develop their all-around games, we will be that much closer to getting to where we need to be.”
Sophomore Kevin McManamy joins the squad for his first season and will immediately provide the coaching staff with increased depth up front. A smart player, McManamy will help the Ducks with excellent skills and a strong passing ability.
Freshman Patrick Sabatino leads a talented freshman class as the forward will see minutes for the Ducks right away. Athletic with a strong inside and outside game, Sabitino will fit well into the Stevens rotation.
Freshman Matt Skrelja has also impressed early on with a strong basketball IQ, good court vision, and passing ability. Freshman Andrew Meszaros will provide depth in the Stevens backcourt and has also displayed strong passing and a quality mid-range game during training camp.
Sophomore guard Mike Nattis, freshman guard Philip DeSeignora, and freshman guard Mahdi Masri will all be vying for minutes off the bench.
Stevens was one of the better teams in the Empire 8 in field-goal percentage defense last year, holding the opposition to 40.9 percent shooting and 65.6 points per game.
“If we are going to be successful this year and get to where we want to go, it starts with our defense,” Coach Hurley said. “We need a commitment to the defensive end for 40 minutes during every game we play.”
The Ducks were 6-2 in conference road games and 4-4 in Empire 8 home games in 2009-10 and made it to the Empire 8 Championship semifinals before falling to NCAA Tournament participant St. John Fisher College. Stevens missed the conference tournament in 2008-09.
Stevens was second in the Empire 8 in scoring margin at plus-7.2, overall defense, allowing 65.6 points per game, field-goal percentage (47.2 percent), field-goal percentage defense (40.9 percent), and assists. The Ducks were tops in the conference in three-point field-goal percentage (40.9 percent).
After opening the season against Baruch on Monday, Stevens will host its annual tip-off tournament on Friday and Saturday. The Ducks will take on Hunter College on Friday and will then face either William Paterson University or Emory & Henry College on Saturday.
Stevens will hit the road for a pair of non-conference games before returning home to host Rutgers University-Camden in the final tune-up for Empire 8 play.
The Ducks open up their conference slate at Utica College on December 10. After Winter Break, Stevens will visit Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute before returning to Empire 8 play on January 7 and 8 at Rochester Institute of Technology and Nazareth College.
Stevens will host the United States Merchant Marine Academy in a non-conference game prior to a pair of conference home games against Fisher and Alfred University on January 14 and 15. A three-game conference road trip against Ithaca College, Elmira College, and Hartwick College is next, before the Ducks return to the Canavan Arena to host Utica on January 28.
The final non-conference game of the season is on February 1 against the College of Staten Island and after visits to Alfred and Fisher, Stevens will close out its regular-season schedule with five-straight conference home games from February 11-19. The Empire 8 Championship will take place on February 25 and 26.
Monday's season-opener at 8 p.m. will be webcast live at www.PennAtlantic.com.
